B.S. in Biology/M.B.A. Five-Year Program

With contemporary life sciences playing an ever-larger role in the economy, there is an increasing demand by employers for individuals with rigorous training in biology as well as business. Career opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are expanding significantly, and are likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future as applications of modern biological research continue to grow.

The B.S. in Biology/M.B.A. dual-degree program provides the type of broad training that contemporary employers in these industries value. It is the first program of its type in the Chicago area.

* ECON 201 & 202 also fulfill the social science requirement of the Core Curriculum.

Biology majors admitted to the five-year program can take up to three of the required M.B.A. courses listed above during their senior year. The M.B.A. courses are taught in the evening on a quarter system, with the first quarter beginning at approximately the same time as the Fall Semester.

Obviously, course waivers must be determined prior to beginning the M.B.A. Ideally, biology majors will be waived from ISOM 490, ISOM 491 and ECON 420. Thus, they will take ACCT 400 and MARK 460 during their senior year. These graduate courses can be applied as six hours of free electives toward the B.S. in Biology degree.

Progress through the Program

In addition to completing the normal requirements for the B.S. in Biology, students planning to enter the M.B.A. program should do the following:

Freshman/Sophomore Years: Arrange their undergraduate course scheduling to preserve six hours of free electives until their senior year. The majority of biology majors have math and foreign language placements upon entrance that already give them the six hours of free electives. Through use of summer school, the remaining students can also readily have the free elective hours by the time they are seniors. During their first two years, students should take ECON 201 and ECON 202, which will satisfy the social science requirement of the Core Curriculum and allow the student to waive out of ECON 420.

Junior Year (2nd semester): Take the GMAT and make formal application to the M.B.A. program. Take BIOL 335. Biostatistics, which counts as an upper-level elective in the biology major and allows the student to waive out of ISOM 491.

Senior Year: Take ACCT 400 and MARK 460, which will count as free electives toward the B.S. degree. Complete all requirements for the B.S. in Biology.

Fifth Year: During the fifth year, students who have followed the above directions will have a total of 13 M.B.A. courses remaining. These courses can be completed full-time at the rate of three or four per quarter (including the summer quarter). Students also have the option to complete the M.B.A. program on a part-time basis (usually one or two courses per quarter).

Tuition & Financial Aid

Students in the program will be charged undergraduate tuition for the graduate M.B.A. courses they take as seniors. They will be charged graduate tuition during the fifth year. Special scholarships are available for students in the fifth year of the program who have achieved a high undergraduate GPA and GMAT score. Specially-designed internships at local biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are also being planned for students in this program.